West Marin’s Foodshed

Our Foodshed

West Marin, with its deep-rooted history from the Miwok people to today, has long been a vital hub for food production, distinctly different from the surrounding urban centers and densely populated suburbs.  At the foundation of our local foodshed are food producers: farmers and ranchers, food preservers and food purveyors, as well as folks growing and preserving food at home.

Robust local food systems strengthen community resilience against both short-term disruptions and long-term impacts of climate change.  Consuming locally-produced food not only supports our local economy; it also decreases food’s carbon footprint by cutting transportation and refrigeration inputs.  

West Marin’s foodshed is supported by a robust network of partners working to enhance sustainability, equity, and community resilience.

  • Supporting Food Producers

    Marin’s UC Cooperative Extension provides research-based information to support dairy, livestock, marine, specialty crop producers toward greater sustainability and vitality.  UC Marin Master Gardeners assist home food gardeners with earth-friendly resources and problem-solving.  MALT protects Marin’s farmland through conservation easements and supports resilience on working lands.  The Marin Resource Conservation District connects private landowners with government and foundation funding to increase biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, and create wildlife habitat.  The Marin Carbon Project, which pioneered soil carbon sequestration research, supports scale-up implementation efforts across West Marin.

    Image: Marin Resource Conservation District

  • Promoting Food Equity, Reducing Waste

    According to Project Drawdown, the worldwide strategy with the most potential to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is reducing food waste.  WMCA works in multiple ways to transform surplus food into opportunity.

    Reducing food waste is also a solution to hunger and food insecurity.  WMCA recruits volunteers to The West Marin Glean Team, and we also tap local gardeners or landowners who have excess produce to donate.  Our Glean Teams work under the umbrella of ExtraFood’s Share the Bounty program to pick up and harvest excess produce from farms and individuals. The West Marin Food Systems Group is the backbone of our gleaning program, identifying farm harvest opportunities and also routing gleaned produce to West Marin’s food pantries, school districts, and key older-adult sites.  Check out their interactive Foodshed Map below.

  • Informed Consumers are Key

    Consumers are foodshed partners too!  We encourage everyone who lives, works or enjoys food in West Marin to recognize the benefits of purchasing food locally.  By purchasing locally produced fruits, vegetables, oysters, meat, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, ice cream, wine, mead, and more, we can help ensure that our community of food producers thrives. 

    For more information on where to buy local, see MALT’s directory of local food producers and retailers. 

    The Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), works to strengthen local and regional food and agricultural systems. By sponsoring the Rollin’ Root and the Point Reyes Farmers Market, AIM also helps enhance consumer access to locally produced food in West Marin.  

    Image: Robert Couse-Baker

West Marin Foodshed Map

Take Action

Community Solutions for Local Food